Kaamatan or Pesta Kaamatan is a form of
harvest festival celebrated on 30 and 31 of May annually in the state of
Sabah and
Federal Territory of Labuan
Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...
in
Malaysia. It is normally celebrated by the ethnic
Kadazan-Dusuns, as well as by other related ethnic groups in the state, and lasts for the whole of the month of May, ending with a public holiday on a date selected by a priestess known as the
bobohizan
A ''Bobohizan'' (Tangaa' Kadazan term) or ''Bobolian'' (Bundu Liwan Dusun term) is a high priestess, a ritual specialist and a spirit medium in Kadazan-Dusun pagan rites. The office of ''Bobohizan'' or ''Bobolian'', is also the chief preserver ...
.
A beauty pageant known as
Unduk Ngadau Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan is a beauty pageant held annually during the Kaamatan cultural event in Sabah, Malaysia.
Profile
The Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant is held to commemorate the spirit of Huminodun, the mythological maiden who was of total be ...
will be held and it ends the harvest festival with a newly crowned Unduk Ngadau in the annual host district,
Penampang
Penampang ( ms, Pekan Penampang) is the capital of the Penampang District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 93,616 in 2010, with ethnic Kadazan as the majority. It contains, or is synonym ...
. The Harvest Festival comes under the ambit of what is known as
Momolianism
Momolianism is a belief system of the Kadazan-Dusun people of Sabah.
Momolianism states that land is a gift from the creator, the earth is a centre of the universe and that the land connects them to the past, present and future. This system ...
, the belief system and life philosophy of the Kadazan-Dusun. There is also a dance performance called the Sumazau, a singing contest called Sugandoi, a bodybuilding competition, and other arts and crafts performances. Competitions such as hitting the gong and folk sports have also become one of the main events in this festival.
Popular drinks during the festival are tapai and Kinomol, which is a traditional alak drink. Tapai is drunk from a small bamboo vessel known as a sumbiling or from special glasses called singgarung, likewise made from bamboo.
See also
*
List of harvest festivals
This is a list of harvest festivals around the world. A harvest festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given regional differences in climates and crops, harvest festivals can be fo ...
*
Kadazandusun Cultural Association
Kadazan-Dusun (also written as Kadazandusun or Mamasok Kadazan-Dusun) also less-known as "Mamasok Sabah" are two indigenous peoples of Sabah, Malaysia—the ethnic groups Kadazan and Dusun. The Kadazandusun is the largest native group of Bumi ...
*
Kadazan-Dusun
References
External links
The Rituals of Tadau KaamatanIntroduction to the Kaamatan Festival
{{Public holidays in Malaysia
Malaysian culture
Sabah
Festivals in Malaysia
Harvest festivals
Public holidays in Malaysia